Under The Puerto Vallarta Sun
by Nachtgeschichte
Summary: The team's cover is blown because of a photo. Now each of the soldiers has to find himself in his new identity. Private and Rico do good. How about Kowalski and Skipper? The alternative aftermath of the episode Fit To Print. Humanized! Slash: Kowalski/Skipper (Skipkow, Kipper, KowalSkip, SkiSki)
1. Prologue

A/N: At first I wanted to add this story to the_ Skipper's second in command, first in heart_ collection but it turned out too long and too...descriptive for the style of that collection. Action takes place after the episode _Fit To Print_. The team's activity got discovered and the plan with new identities was brought to life.

The idea hit me after** Doctor-Hamato**'s request.

Boring prologue:

* * *

0930 hours, Mexico, Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta

A beautiful woman with long black curly hair, white top, black chiffon skirt, ballet shoes and red neckerchief crossed the street. The shoes didn't really fit the whole image but she was going to work and not to a ball. Besides, the last time she had tried to walk in high heels she had ended up with a twisted ankle. The theory that men had invented heels to slow women down seemed provable to Esmeralda Ramirez. That was the lady's name. The problem was – she wasn't a female. With a feminine appearance it wasn't surprising that a Polish guy ended up as a girl in Mexico, right?

She passed by the statue with two dolphins. Always expecting that the Doctor with a big dolphin tattoo on his back would be the cause of their fall, Esmeralda was still in shock that the scenario had gone different. Six months after, she really should have got used to her new life. But she couldn't. There were nights she was just sitting on her bed and thinking what she should have done to prevent the horrible events. No one was killed or hurt...but still. Esmeralda missed her team.

It wasn't like she didn't have any contact with her friends. Professor Richard Perky spent two weeks of his holidays in Puerto Vallarta after Esmeralda had sent him a postcard: 'Wish you were here'. Moreover, she collected press cuttings about him. The man became a honourable member of the Chicago Linguistics Institute, discovering a new branch of phonetics.

Another of her team mates was busy with shooting the next season of _The Puzzler_. A BBC production in which he was the main star. Mr Harry Tux was nominated to the Emmy Award. Esmeralda was in touch with him, chatting at nights. She had to admit that the time zone difference between London and Puerto Vallarta was killing her and she was quite sleepy at work. Her boss and co-worker assumed that she was simply a party animal. Such a beautiful lady must have had a string of lovers. How wrong they were...

Miss Ramirez couldn't complain about her new life. It wasn't the best, true. Quite boring: work, city and its attractions, her attic flat with a little laboratory. She didn't invent anything big, more scratching a plan of a time machine, to bring back the old good times before the...incident. The weather was unbearable (no snow!), the views were beautiful. The general balance hit zero. Still the hole, deep in her chest, was howling. The man of her life wasn't by her side. The man with many names and identities. The adventurer, the macho, the gentlemen, the leader...the missing one. Half a stretch without him seemed like the eternity. Could he forget about her? No, more probable was that he was not allowed to contact with her. Esmeralda hoped that he would close all the doors behind him he would come to see her. And she kept waiting.

Sighing, she put right the neckerchief. The material covered a part of Esmeralda's throat. Inside of it, in the larynx, she had a chip with the Voice Changer. It wasn't visible outside. The first month with the chip was horrible, after six months, she put up with it but still was wearing different neckerchiefs and light scarves, probably just to remember that it was inside of her.

Esmeralda approached the equipment rental store she was working in. It was a simple tiki shop, she really didn't know who had had the idea since this was a coast in Mexico and not Haiti. But it wasn't her business. The tiki belonged to an elderly man, with no sense of humour and even little sense of generosity. Esmeralda's co-worker's name was Bella - a young and boundless girl who liked boys, a lot, and was always late. That's why usually Esmeralda opened the tiki shop and was alone until Bella finally showed up. Clients floated during the summer season which hit its end. The beach was silent. As silent as it could be with all the shouting birds, working ships and coming and going waves.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't know Spanish. So, the quotes are in English. Just imagine they're all speaking Spanish in this chapter. Not sure if I should continue the story or leave it as it is...

The song: _If We Ever Meet Again_ by Timbaland ft. Katy Perry

* * *

1930 hours, Mexico, Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta

Work done, Esmeralda was sitting on a bench watching the breathtaking sunset. Bella had arrived after lunch. The odour of a cheap perfume was following her more than ever. Esmeralda thought that the cause of it was a new boyfriend or boyfriends. But no, this time it was a boyfriend-to-be.

"So, you want me to go with you to the Zoo Nightclub to see a Latino playboy?" Esmeralda turned to Bella. The idea seemed dull. She could use that time better, in her lab for instance.

"It's a really nice place. I'm sure you dance there-"

"Yeah, on the pole, every night." Esmeralda glared at the girl, fed up with her image of the night queen. She didn't even know where that club was.

"Listen, you don't have to be there the whole time. Just until he's totally mine. Then, I dunno, you can go to the beach, it's across the street. I don't want to go there alone..." Bella tried to sound as pleading and convincing as she could. Esmeralda's altruism rang again and she agreed. It wouldn't be wise to let the girl go on her own. Besides, the last time she had spent a night in the club was with Richard. The professor got proper wasted and Esmeralda had to drag him back to his hotel. Still, she had fun.

"Okay! Let's gooo!" Bella took the lady under her arm.

Seventeen minutes passed and the two women were standing in front of the Zoo. The building...was a tiki again. What was wrong with this city? "Doesn't look very representative." Esmeralda sulked.

"It looks small but is quite long. They're going to open in 10 minutes."

"Until that, you could tell me more about your future boyfriend."

"I dunno how you can not know Diego Garcia, you know?" Hearing the one word used three times in one sentence made Esmeralda realize that it would be a very long night. "Neither do I."

"He's handsome. A singer and dancer! And sexy, smart, smexy! And we're going to have two kids. A boy and a girl." Bella was freaking out while the door got open.  
"Well, congratulations." Esmeralda smirked, entering the club.

2000 hours, Zoo Nightclub, Puerto Vallarta

Bella's assurance that the club was long wasn't true. But it had its atmosphere and it was more important than the size. Esmeralda sat by the bar and ordered a glass of water. More and more people came around but not all of them were let in the club. Bella must have organized the entrance ticket. If she had been so eager in work as she was to chase men...

The long wait bore Bella so she entertained herself, dancing, drinking and flirting. Esmeralda was watching the whole fuss incognito. Senior Garcia was nowhere to see. The woman thought that he wouldn't turn up at all. "Heh, Diego...Garcia." That name rang a bell but she didn't know in which church. Maybe she had heard it in the telly or read in a newspaper. The only Diego she knew was Maradona. "Hola, seniorita." A familiar voice greeted her and she turned to be found face to face with her ex-commander. Of course he looked different, hair dyed to dark brown, face tanned, with five o'clock shadow. The always present sparkle in his eye stayed. With the half-open light blue shirt, cream jeans and patent leather shoes he did look impressive. He didn't resemble the military man he had been before but having a long crash on him, Esmeralda recognized him in no time. "Sk-Senior!"

"Just call me Diego. May I have this dance?" She agreed and Garcia gave the sign to the DJ to play the song he had chosen: _If We Ever Meet Again_.

"Prepared to the last detail, as usual." A smile crossed her face as she heard the lyrics of the song.

"I know you pay attention to words."

"And you pay it to actions."

"We complete each other." Diego whispered to Esmeralda's ear causing her to blush.

The party was hotting up. Esmeralda didn't know if it was the effect of their passionate dances, colourful drinks or simply the long separation but there was a big chemistry between her and Diego. At that moment both of them took a rest on a couch, the man holding her close.

"Diego? Are you still in character? I mean...is this Senior Garcia or...you know who. I need to know."

Diego sighed, it was time for an explanation. "There are rules in the army one can't overcome. My officer stated them clear. One of them was: 'No relationships with lower ranks. So, you see, it was the only possible way..."

"You leaked the photo out, didn't you?" Diego nodded. This was a quite unexpected turn-up. He was ready to put upside down their lives, so they could be together. Esmeralda smiled to that and leaned closer, kissing her ex-commander and new boyfriend. She broke the kiss as she heard someone rushing towards them. Pulled away and thrown on the table, she realized that she had forgotten about someone important...

"Bella!" In front of Esmeralda was standing a furious girl. Furious and a bit drunk, busy with pummelling the girl on the table and giving her names not really worth to be quoted. The security entered. Diego used the opportunity and picked Esmeralda up from the table and left the club with her, taking the back door.

"Fangirls..." He commented as they hit the street.

"It was your girlfriend-to-be."

"What the what?!"

"Nothing, nevermind. Your bodyguards entered just in time."

"Those men aren't my bodyguards. I can take care of myself."

"Sure you can...What will we do now?"

"I'm stationed in the Rosita Hotel...but maybe you have other options?"

Esmeralda smiled, coming up with options was that one thing she was good at.

The stats for her went like this that night: one new lover, one new enemy.

0700 hours, Seniorita Esmeralda Ramirez's attic flat, Puerto Vallarta, Day 2

Slowly opening his eyes a blonde man looked around a flat. He reached the conclusion that it was his flat. He noticed the black wig on the floor and tried to recall if he had locked the door. It would be quite troublesome if the landlord would enter the flat, expecting to see a full-dressed and fully awaken single woman. However, he would see two naked guys in one bed. He would definitely think something dirty. And he would be right.

"I would send you to the moon and you would build a lab there." The blonde turned to look at the man who was lying next to him.

"People are not able to live on the moon."

"You could."

"Not without you."

After a moment of silence the blonde burst out laughing. The brown-haired looked at him questioningly.

"The plan was different. You should end up having two kids, a boy and a girl."


End file.
